About

About Us

Our Story

Sheng Siong Supermarket, born and bred in Singapore, was founded in 1985 by the Lim brothers (Mr Lim Hock Eng, Mr Lim Hock Chee and Mr Lim Hock Leng). Before, the Lim brothers were helping out at their father’s pig farm in Punggol. Due to an over-supply situation, Mr Lim Hock Chee and his wife rented a stall at one of the now-defunct supermarket chain stores in Ang Mo Kio (BLK 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3) to sell chilled pork. Just when the couple managed to clear the excess stock, their store owner (the supermarket chain) ran into financial problems and put up the various stores for sale to existing tenants or other market players, including the one where Mr Lim Hock Chee and his wife were manning the pork stall. With the government phasing out pig farms, and with seed capital from their father, Mr Lim Kim Siong, the Lim brothers took the plunge and ventured into the retail business by taking over the store at BLK 122. This became the start of their Sheng Siong venture. The original store remains operational today.

From our humble roots starting as a small provision shop in Ang Mo Kio, Sheng Siong has grown to become one of Singapore’s top retailers, with over 50 stores island- wide today. Sheng Siong is also listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange since 2011.

Our supermarket/ grocery retail stores are primarily located in the heartlands ofSingapore, and are designed to provide our customers with both “wet and dry” shopping options, includinga wide assortment of live, fresh and chilled produce, such as seafood, meat, fruits and vegetables, inaddition to processed, packaged and/or preserved food products as well as general merchandise such astoiletries and essential household products.

Over the past decade, we have begun developing a selection of housebrands to offer our customers quality alternatives to national brands at substantial savings. To date, we have over 1200 products under 18 housebrands, ranging from food products to paper goods. These products are developed with a key focus on safety, quality, health and nutrition, and value-for-money.

In 2014, we started our “allforyou.sg” online shopping platform for groceries, which offers e-commerce services in almost all postal districts in Singapore. Here, we embarked on our omni-channel retail journey to become not only your preferred brick-and-mortar supermarket, but also one of the best online supermarkets in Singapore.

We may not be the cheapest supermarket in Singapore, but we stay committed to provide our customers with safe and quality products that are value-for money and excellent service.

C M M Marketing Management (CMM), the sister company, was incorporated in the year 2000, to serve as the warehousing and logistics arm of Sheng Siong Supermarket. Over the years, it gradually became the corporate headquarters of all the related companies and provided backend support to Sheng Siong Supermarket. Functions carried out at CMM include purchasing, marketing, administration, finance, information technology and human resource management.

To support our retail operations, we built a customised central distribution centre in Mandai Link. Construction of this corporate headquarters-cum- warehousing and distribution centre was completed in 2011, allowing us to leverage on an extensive distribution network, food processing capabilities and warehousing facilities thereon. The new Distribution Centre aim is to supply around 70% of the goods to the retail stores, when it becomes fully operational.

In March 2013, we received HACCP certification for our processing of fish, seafood, meat and vegetables from the receiving of raw materials, storage, processing, packing and transportation of finished products. Our repackaging of dried food from the receiving of raw materials, storage, repacking and transportation of finished products, as well as the receiving, storage and transportation of frozen food and fruits were also HACCP-certified. With further training, sharing of knowledge and upgrading of our handling processes, we attained ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management System certification since early 2016.

Towards the end of 2014, the Group entered into a conditional joint-venture agreement with Kunming LuChen Group Co to operate supermarkets in China. Our subsidiary, Sheng Siong (China) Supermarket Co., Ltd., unveiled its first overseas venture in Kunming in November 2017, spanning a retail space area of 50,000 square feet.

With consistently strong financial results and active involvement in community, our Group has gained much recognition in the marketplace. Recent awards won include “The Enterprise of the Year Award”, “Innovation Excellence Award” and the “Best of the Best” retailer in Singapore.

As a born-and-bred-in-Singapore enterprise selling daily necessities, we strive to continuously offer communities quality products at reasonable prices together with good service, in order to create value for our customers, such as direct bulk purchasing, supply chain management and adoption of technologies to increase our productivity.

Our Management

Lim Hock Eng PBM

Executive Chairman

Tan Ling San

Vice Chairman / Exec. Dir.

Lim Hock Chee BBM

Chief Executive Officer

Lim Hock Leng

Managing Director

Lin Ruiwen

Executive Director

Goh Yeow Tin

Lead Independent Director

Jong Voon Hoo

Independent Director

Francis Lee Fook Wah

Independent Director

Lee Teck Leng, Robson

Non-Executive Director

Tan Poh Heng

Independent Director

Our Community

Focus on Sheng Siong becoming a household name and their 5 key pillars – Business Excellence, Care for our Customers, Care for our Employees, Care for the Community, Care for the Environment

Business Excellence

Strategic growth, financial performance, capital and risk management and sound government have been the cornerstones of excellent business. We at Sheng Siong continuously strive for said excellence; sustaining our business in a competitive and ever-changing environment.

In 2017, we collaborated with Bank of China Singapore Branch (BOCSG) to jointly launch a co-branded Visa credit card in an effort to support Singapore’s cashless goal. We extended Unified Point-of-Sales (UPOS) to all our outlets as at 30 September 2017, enabling our customers to make payment by card or mobile wallets using just one payment terminal. Our CEO, Mr Lim Hock Chee was also appointed a member of the MAS Payment Council which steers future e- payment solutions in Singapore.

We’ve grown and adapted to the wave of technological advances, taking advantage of these advances to improve operational efficiencies and productivity, enhancing our customers’ retail experience.

Care for our Customers

Our customers make up a huge portion of the community. We focus on Food Safety and Quality, Healthy Diet Options and Affordability of Daily Necessities.

For Food Safety and Quality

For Healthier Food Options

We aim to provide the highest quality and value-for-money goods on the market, such as our Nature One Dairy, an Australian brand of infant milk formula that retails at more affordable prices relative to other brands. We also provide a 3% discount for all senior citizens every Wednesday, aged 60 and above.

Care for our Employees

We’re constantly looking out for ways to help our employees grow and upgrade. Working closely with the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS) has led to higher customer service standards at all our retail outlets. Combined with our on-the-job training that’s soon to be formalized and our new extension currently being built at our distribution centre, we plan to start a training supermarket and work with partners in developing a training curriculum for our employees.

In 2017, as a way to show our appreciation towards our employees, our controlling shareholders Mr. Lim Hock Eng, Mr. Lim Hock Chee and Mr. Lim Hock Leng disbursed, out of their own pockets, annual education grants amounting to $389,550. The beneficiaries were 480 children of our lower- salaried employees.

Sheng Siong fosters an inclusive and familial working environment for our employees, strongly encouraging racial diversity and provide opportunities for one and all to experience new opportunities.

Care for our Community

Sheng Siong strongly believes that we should always give back to the society with gratitude. Every year, we have made an effort to provide financial assistance as well as sponsorships in-kind, lending our hands to those who are less fortunate. The spirit of giving has been well embraced by the Group as care for the community, for our customers, and for employees. These have been material aspects of our operations since its inception.

Some of our initiatives include:

Sheng Siong strongly believes that we should always give back to the society with gratitude. Every year, we have made an effort to provide financial assistance as well as sponsorships in-kind, lending our hands to those who are less fortunate. The spirit of giving has been well embraced by the Group as care for the community, for our customers, and for employees. These have been material aspects of our operations since its inception.

Project R.I.C.E.+ 2017

Where we assisted and supplied about 17,000 hampers of daily necessities for the needy, marking the 5 th consecutive year of collaboration with the Red Cross Youth.

#ILoveYouMumChallenge

In 2017, our 2 nd continuous support of the #ILoveYouMumChallenge organised by Mediacorp, on top of a $40,000 cash sponsorship, both our founders and employees personally participated in the social media video challenge, where they shared their thoughts about their first gifts to their mothers

Heart-warmers Volunteer Group

In 2017, we partnered with Heartwarmers Volunteer Group for a ground-up initiative called “Project 100=50”, through a collaboration with multiple parties like Henderson-Dawson CCC and Sree Narayana Mission Home, which allowed selected beneficiaries to purchase items at a 50% discount up to a maximum of $50. The beneficiaries were lower middle-income families who required financial help, and this programme helped them save money when buying groceries at a discounted price.

Care for our Environment

As the 3 rd largest retailer in Singapore, we believe that we also have a part to play when it comes to tackling climate change. In line with the Sustainable Singapore goals, we look at how we can conserve resources and reduce our carbon footprint.

The 3Rs “reduce, reuse, recycle” principle is constantly brought up during the management of our resources. By monitoring and measuring the usage of our resources and waste streams, we not only conserve precious resources but contribute to a more sustainable environment, reduce costs and create value for all our stakeholders.

Sheng Siong has embraced solar energy as one of its alternative sources of energy. 11,000 square meters worth of solar panels were installed on the roof of our Mandai Link Distribution Centre. In 2014, it was the largest single photovoltaic system in Singapore, with a capacity of 1,200 kilowatts-peak and by 2017, solar energy contributed to 14% of our energy requirements for the distribution centre and eventually, our effort was recognised through the Solar Pioneer Awards conferred to us by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Our Mission, Vision and Values

Sheng Siong’s vision, mission, beliefs and values have largely remained the same at its core. In a time where nothing is certain and markets can change unexpectedly, Sheng Siong has continued to weather the storm and come out unscathed. A true testament to its unwavering spirit in the face of uncertainty.

Vision

To be the preferred retailer in the market, starting from Singapore and expanding further ashore.

Mission

To create value in a sustainable manner for our customers in a convenient and comfortable shopping environment with good service and quality products at reasonable prices.

Belief

With morality as our bedrock, we continue our legacy by setting self-expectations to walk the talk and to be good examples for others. With this, we will conquer all odds and ensure the continuity of Sheng Siong.

以道德为基础 （自我要求，言行一致），

以榜样为传承 （走出死亡，永续昇菘）。

Values

Be reasonable, harmonious, responsible and dedicated. Be earnest and efficient at work, with no empty promises and excuses.

合理，和谐，尽责，敬业。

认真，快，坚守承诺，绝不找借口。

Our Milestones & Awards

Our Timeline

Year 1985

Sheng Siong was founded by the Lim Brothers - Mr Lim Hock Eng, Mr Lim Hock Chee and Mr Lim Hock Leng. They took the opportunity to acquire the store at BLK 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, where they were previously tenants selling chilled pork. With the government phasing out pig farms and some seed money from their father, the Lim brothers took the plunge and opened their first Sheng Siong Supermarket.

The original store remains operational until today.

Year 1988

By 1988, Sheng Siong set up a second store at BLK 539 in Bedok North (which later relocated to BLK 539A).

Year 1995

The third store located at BLK 301 in Woodlands is opened in 1995.

From 1999-2005, the chain saw exponential growth, adding a whopping 11 new stores, bringing the total number of stores to 14.

During this period, Sheng Siong weathered the bleak domestic and global economic outlook due to events like the financial crisis and collapse of the dotcom era and survived the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) attack. This is a testament to the nature of its business, the hard work and dedication of family members and Staff, as well as the ease (and lower cost) of obtaining retail spaces to conduct business.

After its rapid expansion, Sheng Siong began its internal corporate restructuring to keep pace with its growth. It was the 1st supermarket to implement the Electronic Price Labeling process (ESL) or ‘e-price tag’.

Year 2007

2007 is a year of change, where a series of “makeovers” including the revamping of corporate logo and signboards took place to solidify Sheng Siong as a household name.

Year 2007

It started dabbling in advertisements and promotions as well. In conjunction with its first-ever mega sales promotions, “The Sheng Siong Show”, a live television variety show, was launched in April 2007 and attracted strong viewership. It was so successful that it became a regular season (mid-year and year-end) programme on national television, MediaCorp Channel 8.

Sheng Siong launched its first TV commercial.

Year 2008

Sheng Siong leapt from 8th position to become the 3rd largest retailer in Singapore by sales volume, according to an Asia-Pacific survey by Euromonitor International.

Sheng Siong was also awarded “Superbrand” status by Superbrands Singapore for the first time.

Year 2009

By the end of 2009, store count grew to 23. Sheng Siong was the 1st supermarket to set up live seafood station (tanks in the outlets).

Together with its sister company C M M Marketing Management Pte Ltd, they announced plans to invest $65 million to build their new HQ cum Distribution Centre at Mandai Link Road. The new Distribution Centre was to be built on 2.32 hectares (or 249,722 sq ft) of land awarded by JTC Corporation, with a lease of 30 + 30 years. The land size is about twice that of the old warehouse (120,328 sq ft) located at 3000 Marsiling Road. The new built-up area will be approximately 537,000 sq ft, about four times bigger than the old HQ, reflecting the group’s ambition to grow and expand.

The year 2009 also saw Sheng Siong partner with Diners Club Singapore to roll out the “Sheng Siong – Diners Club Cobrand Credit Card”, the first any credit card was accepted in any Sheng Siong stores.

Year 2010

Sheng Siong organised their first-ever “Taiwan Food Fair” and “Korean Food Fair” in July and December respectively, bringing in top-grade agricultural produce and processed food, especially from overseas markets.

It was also the first company to use a digitised procurement and distribution process at the Jurong Fishery Port.

In the same year, Sheng Siong received notification from its new landlord at Ten Mile Junction that they decided to terminate the existing lease with Sheng Siong as they wanted to conduct major refurbishment works in the mixed development to give the property a new identity. With the closure of Sheng Siong Supermarket at Ten Mile Junction in late November 2010, Sheng Siong was left with 22 retail stores.

Year 2011

On 31st May 2011, the new HQ, cum Distribution Centre, was awarded TOP by the Building Construction Authority (BCA), symbolising the completion of building works for the site. On July 25th, all staff from the previous 3000 Marsiling Road relocated to 6 Mandai Link, the new headquarters and distribution centre. The custom-built Distribution Centre leverages on modern technologies, such as the Pick-to-Light Warehouse Management System, to improve on its operational productivity and to achieve zero error in goods handling. It also allowed the adoption of Cold Chian Management in the storage and handling of our fresh produce. As the capacity in the new Distribution Centre increases tremendously relative to the old warehouse, it can embark on more direct and centralised purchasing in bulk, as well as the expansion of Sheng Siong’s house brand variety, enhancing the Group’s margins.

On 17th August, Sheng Siong Group Limited reached another corporate milestone by becoming a main board-listed company on the Singapore Exchange. Its wholly-owned subsidiaries include Sheng Siong Supermarket Pte Ltd and C M M Marketing Management Pte Ltd.

Throughout 2011, Sheng Siong expanded into four new locations: Elias Mall, Teck Whye Lane, Thomson Imperial Court at Upper Thomson Road and Woodlands Industrial Park. Its supermarket along Tanjong Katong Road faced a similar fate as the one at Ten Mile Junction, where the land was sold to another third party and re-developed, resulting in a termination of its lease and operations at Katong. By the end of 2011, Sheng Siong was operating out of 25 locations.

Sheng Siong continued expansion in response to consumers’ request to set up operations in areas where it did not have a presence. With a keen outlook and newly-emerged opportunities in the market, they set foot in Toa Payoh, Geylang, Bukit Batok West and Ghim Moh and deepened its reach by commencing business in Jalan Berseh, Yishun Central, Bedok North and Clementi.

The opening of its Geylang store marked the beginning of 24-hour operations for Sheng Siong. Following its success, this round-the-clock operation model was also replicated in two of the newest stores, located in Clementi Ave 1 and Ghim Moh.

The year 2012 was a record-breaking year with the addition of these eight new retail stores bringing total store count to 33.

Sheng Siong was awarded the “Most Transparent Company Award 2012” under the Retail & Household Goods category at the Securities Investors Association Singapore (“SIAS”) 13th Investors’ Choice Awards, and Singapore’s “Best of the Best Retailer”, the highest honour conferred to an Asia Pacific company (Asia-Pacific survey by Euromonitor International).

Solar panels were installed on the roof-top of the Mandai Link Distribution Centre, occupying an area of about 11,000 square metres in a bid to reduce carbon footprints and to conserve energy. Upon commissioning in 2014, the installation was the largest single photovoltaic system in Singapore, with a capacity of at least 1,200 kilowatt-peak. Our pro-active efforts to be environmental-friendly was recognised, and the Group became the first supermarket to obtain the EDB Solar Pioneer Awards in late 2013.

In October 2013, it announced the purchase of a total of 6 retail shops at Junction 9, a new shopping-cum-residential complex at 18 Yishun Avenue 9, Singapore, for an aggregate consideration of S$54.9 million to operate a supermarket.

CEO Mr. Lim Hock Chee was awarded “Best CEO” (Category: Companies with $300 million to less than $1 billion in market capitalisation) by the Singapore Corporate Awards.

Sheng Siong was runner-up in the Retail & Household Goods category of the 14th Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (SIAS) Investors’ Choice Award – Most Transparent Company Award (MTCA) 2013, and was awarded “Best of the Best” Retailer in Singapore for a 2nd consecutive year.

Year 2014

Sheng Siong became the first organisation to win the Inaugural Singapore Productivity Award (Retail) and the first supermarket to attain Singapore Quality Class certification conferred by SPRING Singapore (current Enterprise Singapore).

The Company also executed a conditional joint-venture agreement with Kunming LuChen Group Co to operate supermarkets in China.

Year 2015

In 2015, Sheng Siong opened an outlet at BLK 506 Tampines Central 1. The three-storey commercial property was acquired at a total consideration of S$65 million the year before. In the same year, the supermarket spaces in Punggol, Bukit Panjang, Pasir Ris Blk 527D and Dawson, which Sheng Siong has successfully bid, also opened subsequently, bringing the total number of Sheng Siong outlets to 39.

Year 2015

Operationally, Sheng Siong rolled out its Hybrid Self-Checkout System (“HSCO”) and enhanced its ESL system to ePaper v2.0.

2015 was a bumper year for Sheng Siong. Sheng Siong received the Bronze award of the “Retail Asia Pacific Top 500 Awards” and was inducted into the hall of fame as “Best of the Best” retailer in Singapore for the third time. It also clinched The Enterprise of the Year Award by Singapore Business Awards and the Innovation Excellence Award by SPRING Singapore.

As 2015 also marked the company’s 30th anniversary, Sheng Siong for the first time organised a banquet for its suppliers, to thank them for their support over the years. As of the end of 2015, Sheng Siong Group Ltd’s market capitalisation exceeded S$1.2 billion.

Year 2016

Sheng Siong was awarded the lease for supermarket space at Macpherson and Sengkang Fernvale and took over a supermarket store at Upper Boon Keng Road. The Company also acquired the store where it has been leasing at Bedok Central, Upper Changi Road. The Yishun Junction 9 store opened in September. Unified POS were also implemented in stores. By September, total store count was 43.

Sheng Siong was awarded the Runner Up of the 17th Securities Investors Association of Singapore (SIAS) Investors’ Choice Awards – Most Transparent Company Award 2016 under the Consumer Staples Category, and Overall Winner of the Billion Dollar Club – Commerce Category awarded by The Edge Singapore.

Year 2017

The Loyang Point Complex underwent upgrading works in 2016 and the Sheng Siong supermarket store located in the shopping mall was closed on 15 April 2016 and reopened at the end of February 2017.

Not long after, the branch at The Verge closed in June 2017 as the new owners decided to re-develop the building. One of the oldest Sheng Siong stores at Blk 6A Woodlands Centre Road was located in the district selected to undergo the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). Hence the store lease was also terminated in November 2017.

In 2017, another three stores were added. These stores are located at Fajar 446, Edgedale Plains 660A and Marsiling Mall. As of December 2017, its total store count in Singapore is 44 outlets

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Sheng Siong reaches another significant milestone when its subsidiary, Sheng Siong (China) Supermarket Co., Ltd., unveiled its first overseas venture in Kunming in November 2017. This is the first time Sheng Siong dipped its toes in foreign waters.

In 2017, Sheng Siong also partnered with Bank of China to launch its second card – the “Bank of China-Sheng Siong Cobrand Card”, offering up to 12% rebate for grocery shopping in Sheng Siong.

In July 2017, the Group commenced with the construction on the new extension to the distribution centre. The extension is estimated to be completed by 3Q2019, adding approximately 50,000 square feet of storage space.

Sheng Siong was awarded Overall Winner of the Billion Dollar Club – Commerce Category awarded by The Edge Singapore for a 2nd consecutive year.

Year 2018

The year 2018 is another record-breaking year for Sheng Siong as it added another ten new stores, bringing the total store count to 54.

Sheng Siong launched the first “recycling” cash withdrawal machine in Singapore, called “$tm”, in our stores. The $tm machines are topped-up with cash from our supermarkets’ sales, and users can withdraw money from their bank accounts using their DBS, POSB, OCBC or UOB ATM cards.

Sheng Siong also rolled out the Sheng Siong Connect (known as “SS Connect”) mobile application to better connect, communicate and engage with customers. At its pilot stage, the APP included features such as in-store promotion alerts, auto-completion of Sheng Siong’s mega promotion lucky draw entry form, e-receipts, purchase history records and store locator. The APP aims to play the role of a shopping assistant to Sheng Siong’s customers, and Sheng Siong will continue to add more exciting functions and features in the near future.

Sheng Siong became a signatory of the Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA), a joint initiative by government, industry and NGOs to reduce packaging waste.